Getting Over A Cold

I don't get sick often. I used to get sick several times a year, but after I figured out that I got sick more from eating out often I cut that out, now I dine in and cook more of my own meals. Since doing this, I notice I get sick less. Also, I use a sanitary spray to clean my hands throughout the business day after shaking people's hands. This also helps reduce germs.

The best way to get over a cold, after all, is to avoid it in the first place.

According to the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, Americans suffer about 1 billion colds a year. That's a lot of people getting sick. The Census Bureau now estimates the US population to be over 299,398,484 (Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2006 Population Estimates, Census 2000, 1990 Census). The combination of these statistics mean that each person in the US is getting sick 3 times a year, on average. Considering some people probably don't get sick very often, this means that others might catch as many as five colds a year. That's a seriously productivity problem that's nothing to sneeze at.

Have you ever noticed how much harder it is to work when you're sick? In some cases, it's downright impossible. I just experienced this the past two days, with a splitting headache, head cold (running nose), fever, and other conditions. For two days I was off the blog and unable to do much of anything. As soon as I feel good enough to type, I'm back writing to about getting over a cold, though.

Why? Because I know I can help people who are sick. I have a formula for getting over a nasty cold. It works pretty well, too. I provide it for entertainment purposes only; however, if you are sick and unsure of the symptoms, I always recommend you visit a doctor. I have a rule of thumb that if I am ever sick and it gets into my lungs or deep-sinus infection, that I visit the doc immediately. Also, if you're sick longer than two days, don't tough it out - go see a doctor! It's a good rule to live by. I just returned from the local Med-Stop office (the only doc around me open on a Saturday), and now have a prescription for antibiotics to help me overcome this cold -- if I need it. I'm not of the belief that I will need the antibiotic though. Read my cold remedies and you'll see why.

Scott's Cold Remedies: Ways to Quickly Get Over A Cold:

1. Take Emergen-C. Whenever I first start feeling like I might get sick, I take Emergen-C (Great deal at Amazon- less than Trader Joe's!) Here's an easy link to buy this BEFORE you need it from Amazon: Emergen-C 36 Pack.


What I love about Emergen-C is that this product contains all the antioxidants your body needs. Consider these ideas:

a. Instead of drinking soda, drink Emergen-C It tastes as good, and it is better for you.

b. Are you a boss? Consider buying a few boxes for your office. Rather than paying for sick time and lost productivity, you'll be paying for healthy employees.

c. Are you older? It can be harder for the elderly to keep their immune system active. Keep a stash of Emergen-C on hand and drink it any time you feel a little run-down. You'll get the boost you need.

d. On a budget but want to try it anyway? Visit Emergen-C's site and fill in a few details and they'll send you a free sample to try it out. I already know it works, so if you want my opinion, just get yourself a stash and keep it on hand all the time.

I just took two packets of Orange Emergen-C with Crystal Geyser water and I'm feeling more energized in just 30 minutes!

2. Get your sleep. If I feel like I'm getting sick, I get more sleep. I normally run on about 6-7 hours of sleep. But if there is one time you CANNOT cut corners on sleep it is when you're getting sick. Go to sleep earlier, wake up earlier, and you'll feel better sooner. If I'm already sick, I make sure to sleep between 8 - 10 hours per day. If you're pushing your body hard, this is one time you can't do that.


3. Get a little sunshine. Another healthy tip is to let your body get some sunshine as soon as possible. The sun, in small doses, helps our body and skin build up some natural energy to fight off colds. Today I was out in the sun for about 30 minutes, and it was healthy for me (certainly more healthy than that sneezy doc's office!).

4. Eat healthier, lighter meals and drink lots of water. While some people advocate starving a cold, I sure the heck don't. Why? Because if your body is trying to build up antibodies to fight off a virus, the last thing you want to do is starve your body. Essentially, by starving yourself you put yourself at cross-purposes with your body. It is wiser to eat regular, healthy meals. Lighter foods and fluids are wise choices when you are sick. Consider eggs, water, jello, soup, and things of this nature. Don't eat too much meat when you're sick, and avoid smoking and drinking alcohol. Yeah, I know, your Uncle Tom says a shot of Jack Daniels will cure a cold. But, then again, have you looked at Uncle Tom lately? Alcohol dehydrates you and doesn't put anything in your body to help it build immunity to infectious disease or a cold. Same thing with coffee and tea, which both dehydrate you. Better than dehydration is water - the only hydration method I know that gives your body oxygen the natural way. Not only that, but if you've had the flu, you'll need the water to re-balance your system.

5. Light exercise. I don't recommend that you go to the gym when you are sick. If you have to ask why, you're really not with it, are you?! Think of all the germs that get passed around at the gym! Door handles, machines, gym floors, locker-room benches, and more are all natural places for germs to build up and gather an assault on your unsuspecting body. Don't be part of the problem. When you feel like you're getting sick, or certainly if you already are sick, stay away from the gym. Instead, do some stretches, and some light workouts with barbells in your home. This will keep your body up and at the same time avoid getting others sick.

6. Don't eat out. If you're getting sick a lot, it could be a result of eating out often. Consider cooking more at home, with healthier choices of food in salads, stir fry, soups, and such. I've become healthier since I made this choice.

7. Quit smoking and drinking booze. People who smoke have lower immune systems and get sick more often than those who don't. Same thing with anyone who drinks more than 5 alcoholic beverages a week. If you want to improve your immunity, get rid of addictions that limit your health.

8. Avoid crowds during holidays. The holiday season is when the most flu bugs get passed around. The reason for this is because of the colder air and because people are gathered together. If you can avoid movie theatres during this season, you'll probably be healthier than if you go see a movie. Places people go that can foster getting sick during holidays include: airports, restaurants, theatres. If you are around crowds, carry an antibacterial lotion to wipe your hands with often.

9. Stay warm and humid, instead of cold and dry. If you've been around people who are sick, keep your environment warm and humid. This is the environment that colds struggle to live in and why it is rare to get sick in the summer.

10. Be careful with your hands! Also, make sure you don't touch your nose, eyes, and ears during this season. These are the three places most colds enter your body. If you don't touch them without first coating your hand with antibacterial lotion, you'll lessen the odds of getting sick. (Hint: this is the one thing I really blew this last week that I believe had a direct impact in why I got sick!)

11. Get rid of allergens. I used to get sick every Christmas until I figured out the biggest culprit to my winter health: the Christmas Tree! Yep, I was bummed to learn that the beloved Christmas tree is also a major problem for mold spores. Of course, a tree is also a fire hazard, too. Once I learned that the tree was a source of mold in my home, I got rid of it. Yes, I'd rather see a real tree than a fake tree, but after the first glance, nobody thinks twice about it. My body is healthier without the mold, too.

12. Keep your thoughts positive and create a plan to lower stress. If you get depressed or stressed-out, your odds of getting sick go up dramatically. People who have a healthy, positive mental outlook get sick less often than those who don't. So, smile, think positive thoughts, and keep your life balanced. Keep your finances in order, keep a regular sleep schedule, keep your exercise schedule, and keep your diet healthy. Have a little fun to balance all the hard work you do. And, most important, don't forget to schedule a vacation once a quarter or so. Americans don't vacation as often as they ought to. It is healthy to get away and recharge ourselves so that we're less stressed and more happy.

So, that's my list. Pretty simple, huh? Well, for some, yes, others, maybe not. I'll be writing some articles in the upcoming New Year on ADDICTIONS (how to get rid of and get over them).


If you find this article helpful to you in preventing and getting over a cold, why not share it with
your friends and family? Just remember to tell them you found it here at AspireNow!
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This article is written by Scott Andrews, Founder of AspireNow. Copyright 2007. All rights reserved. To get more articles like this, subscribe to the A-Blog.

Elissa Heyman, Psychic, on air now at Talkshoe!

Call in to ask Elissa questions - live online tonight (now) at AspireNow Radio show now for the next hour 6PM PST - 7PM PST. Questions about things to decide going into 2008 - what's in store for the NEW YEAR!

1. Dial (724) 444-7444
2. Enter 37792 # (Talkcast Show ID)
3. Enter: 1 # or your Talkshoe PIN

www.Talkshoe.com
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This article is written by Scott Andrews, Founder of AspireNow. Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.

You may republish this article only AS A COMPLETE WHOLE with ENTIRE LINKS and copyright messages attached. All rights reserved. To read more articles like this, subscribe to the A-Blog.

Top Money Management Issues

I'm working on a series of articles about Money Management Issues. This will be a 10-part series, where I'm going to drill down into each one of these issues with separate articles (posts) to help with insights into each:

Ten Money Management Issues to master in order to grow financial abundance:

1. Be careful with credit. Credit is the #1 problem in America for people in managing their money. The most important advice regarding credit is to pay it off monthly, when the bill comes in. If you cannot pay it off in the first month, make sure you pay off the bill before you buy anything else on credit.

2. The most important lesson to learn about making money is not that hard work will make you money. It is that you want to build systems that serve as investments where your investment pays you. This is the lesson taught quite well in the book, "Rich Dad, Poor Dad," by Robert Kiyosaki.

3. Working harder will often result in making more money, but not always. For example, if you get paid $20 an hour to dig a ditch, and you work 8 hours a day, you'll make $160 a day for digging ditches. The logic would have it that if you worked 10 hours a day, you'd make $200. What this logic fails to consider is you'll be so exhausted from digging ditches that you might not be able to work 10 hours the next day. Not only that, but your incidence of injury increases with the higher hours. Rather than teaching people to work harder, sometimes we need to be taught to work smarter. The person who gives talks for free could start improving their talk and getting paid to do the talks (maybe even $1,200 per talk!). Another person who sells for a company might offer their knowledge in a program about how to improve selling (I do this, myself!).

4. Own our choices. It is hard to face the fact that the stock we bought at the all-time high in March of 2000 might not be worth more than 1/20 of the purchase price. But, we knew what we were buying. My point is that we need to own our choices. Taking responsibility for those choices helps us learn faster, so next time we won't make the same mistake.

One of our choices is about how we spend. The other choice is about our perspective about money. I really like the contrast as demonstrated by this quote from Rich Dad, Poor Dad:

One dad would say, "The love of money is the root of all evil." The other, "The lack of money is the root of all evil." Having two dads - and loving them both - forced me to think about, and ultimately choose, a way of thinking for myself."

Perspective is useful. Making sure we own our perspective about money is as important as owning the choices about how we spend our money.

5. Instant gratification and earning more money are not good partners. Most people who make a lot of money do not do it through winning the lottery. Most people who make a lot of money do it slowly, through time, good earning, spending, and saving habits, and making wise choices regarding usage of their money. It is easy to go out and blow a wad of money for things that depreciate: cars, furniture, clothes, etc., but the wiser thing to do is to put that money in an investment (real estate, stock, bond, business, 401K) that eventually earn us more interest or appreciation to be worth far more than the original investment.

6. Giving money or giving something often leads to others sending money back to you. Like the link exchange strategy in growing a website, if you offer a link to a site with high traffic volume, and they offer a link back to you, it only makes sense that you will both gain in traffic (and potential income) through sharing traffic. The Biblical principle of tithing money to a church or charity is a valuable discipline in money management.

7. When asked "What is more important, love - or money?" most people will respond "love". Yet, it is easier to pay for things in life when you have more money. Nevertheless, money does not buy you happiness. Most people forget that they are happiest when their life is most simple and their social networks are empowering to them.

8. Use a system to pay your self first. Most people have a hard time saving because they don't have a system to manage their money. When you have a system to manage your money, money will get appropriated more easily. For example, when I first chose to invest in an IRA account, I funded it at the end of the tax year, by writing a check to an account, rather than investing in it monthly. The following year I funded my 401K, but rather than investing at the end of the year, I withdrew money from my paycheck on a monthly basis. I noticed my pay seemed lower the first month of this deduction, but I adjusted to the change in net money shortly therafter. Over time, the 401K account filled until maximized the $10,000 to fund it each year. This is one of the best ways to create a fund like this. Pay your investments to yourself and your retirement first, before you pay your bills.

9. Self-employed people have to put an extra measure of effort into making sure they pay themselves first, by first sending money to their account, then to the 401K, then to the charity, then to their business, then to their bank account. I've started creating bank accounts for various things I am funding, so that I can track each separately.

10. Regarding buying anything new, I like to ask myself the following four questions:

(1) Do I need it?
(2) Can I afford it right now?
(3) Do I love it?
(4) Is this the best time to buy it?

When I follow these sets of rules, my money management is much better.
I'll be digging into this list further, and eventually offering the full series as a little money management e-book here at AspireNow and ARRiiVE.com. If you have suggestions or personal stories that might be fun to include in the e-book, please share in my comments!
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This article is written by Scott Andrews, Founder of AspireNow. Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.

This article is provided as entertainment, only. I always suggest talking to a financial advisor before making any change in financial investments. To receive more tips on money like this, subscribe to the A-Blog.

Online Self Help Experts

Are you a life coaching expert? If you're providing self-help, coaching, dating and relationship advice, motivational speaking, financial advice, and things of this nature, you are invited to join my AspireNow Self Help Expert Coaching network at Plaxo!

The criteria to join the self help expert coaching network is:

1. You've been providing coaching on a paid basis for more than three (3) years.
2. You speak professionally either online, on the radio, or on TV.
3. You are interested in collaborating with other coaches.

If this is you, you are invited - click here to join!

http://selfhelp.plaxogroups.com

Also, make sure that you do not spam the group - it is really important that we moderate and keep comments focused on coaching. Aside from that, if you like the group, make sure you CONNECT with me at Plaxo, too, so we can join our networks!
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This article is written by Scott Andrews, Founder of AspireNow. Copyright 2007. Plaxo is a trademark of Plaxo.com. No infringement intended.

You may republish this article only AS A COMPLETE WHOLE with ENTIRE LINKS and copyright messages attached. All rights reserved. Subscribe-don't miss out!

Letter To A Wounded Soldier

The Associated Press announced today that letters addressed "To A Wounded Soldier" were being returned as undeliverable and return to sender. Reasons given: (1) threat of anthrax through the mail, and (2) concern over whether a message contained in the email would be demoralizing (such as "stop killing babies" or stuff like that).

A comment by one woman was "I just wanted to say, 'I'm sorry you're hurt. Thank you, Merry Christmas.'"

In the spirit of such a gesture, I've decided to write my own version of a "Letter to a wounded soldier" here at AspireNow. If this letter moves you, feel free to forward/copy to your friends and family members who are affected by this war. All I ask is you keep the original author copyright and links attached. Blessings!

"Letter To A Wounded Soldier:

December 11, 2007

Dear Wounded Soldier,

I am writing on behalf of the parent who is too numb, scared, upset, or unable to write to you.

I am so sorry that you are not home with us this year for the holidays. More importantly that that, I am sorry that you are wounded and in pain.

I know you felt it worthy to fight for the cause in Iraq. I know you felt it worth dying for, or you would not have gone. I just can't imagine anyone would have thought you'd get hurt. I am so proud of you for fighting to right injustices in the world. I have not been there to see everything you may have done. But whether all of your actions have been good, or bad, I give you the benefit of the doubt. Why? Because I love you and believe you are standing up for the right thing. Just as the men and women who planted a flag in the ground the morning of September 11, 2001 stood up for the right thing.

Some people do not believe in this war. To those people, I can only say that I understand your frustration. It seems that our government rushed to war in both Afghanistan and in Iraq. Many people feel the war is the right thing to do, while many oppose it. Nevertheless, it is the American responsibility to stand up and serve our commander-in-chief, even if we do not always agree with him. This letter especially goes to the soldier who felt this way prior to going to this war, fought in the war, and suffered injury due to the war. To you, especially, I write to share in your frustration.

While you may not know me, and I may not know you, it is so important to so many of us back home that you hear this message:

We love you. We miss you. We are sorry you are hurt. Please heal to the best of your ability. We pray that God would summon a quick healing for you and bring you back to be with us soon. We miss you, today, and every day that you are not here with us.

Thank you, so much, for what you do for every one of us, and our country, America.

Love,
Me."
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This article is written by Scott Andrews, Founder of AspireNow. Copyright 2007. All rights reserved. You may republish this article only AS A COMPLETE WHOLE with ENTIRE LINKS and copyright messages attached. To read more articles like this, subscribe to the A-Blog.

Get AspireNow Feeds On Your Cell Phone

I've just added a new subscription service so that you now can not only recieve AspireNow's RSS Feed through the feedburner, you can also subscribe and receive this via e-mail, or you can subscribe to the feed through the buzmob widget in the upper right subscription box.

Now, you can follow new posts anywhere, any time, any place!
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This article is written by Scott Andrews, Founder of AspireNow. Copyright 2007. All rights reserved. To read more articles like this, subscribe to the A-Blog.

Energizing The Earth

There is so much attention around Global Warming, and rightfully so, that there is a concern that other environmental issues are getting swept under the geo-political landscape. People are so focused on Global Warming, and I'm glad this issue has heated up; however, we need to be looking at how the we power the Earth, as a whole.

Earth Day: Only .03% Attention

Earth Day is usually in April, one day out of the year. But this focus is too minuscule to matter. 1/365 is less than .03% of our time! We need EVERY day to be Earth Day. Every day ought to be a day we focus on improving our Earth and creating a better way of life.

It is true that if you're talking about an environmental issue in a group of a dozen people, it is inevitable that the conversation will shift to Global Warming almost every time. I have a group of musician and dancer friends who are very interested in global issues. The last time we gathered, sure enough, someone brought up an environmental rant and within two minutes four of them were in full-fledged Global Warming debate.

Can you relate?

But the bigger concern, from my perspective, isn't just Global Warming. Global Warming, to me, seems like a subset of the bigger picture question facing our future needs: energizing the Earth.

How do we energize the earth?

It is important that we, as people inhabiting our Earth, consider ALL issues that might impact this planet, and try to minimize them. So much attention is focused on carbon dioxide emissions and the effect of greenhouse gases that people are forgetting about equally important issues surrounding mercury, nuclear waste, and other concerns.

I challenge the scientists probing for energy breakthroughs to find a way to power our Earth from the solar system, rather than from natural resources within our Earth. Energizing the Earth from natural, renewable sources ought to be the Earth's primary focus, right now. Why? Because we cannot continue to drill out all the oil, mine all the coal, and build any more nuclear waste sites. After all, how many years does it take for a nuclear site to become non-toxic? We're talking generations.

To me, the water is as important as air we breathe. In fact, water may, in some places, be even more important. If we cannot get pure water to drink, we run the risk of disease, poor health, and many other issues as vital to breathing unpolluted air.

Solutions to help us Energize the Earth:

1. We need to focus on harnessing natural Earth energy as much as possible:

air, solar, water, volcanic, etc.

2. We need to minimize power sources and fuel sources that put waste into our air, water, forests, and earth. By these, I mean coal, natural gas, oil, and nuclear. Is growth, at all costs, worth it? Is it worth risking another Chernobyl-type meltdown? We need to make WISER decisions regarding our planet and stop seeing ourselves, as human beings, as superior beings who can take and use the Earth at our discretion.

Does Global Warming Matter?

This seems to be a question of debate, still, for many people. To me, you only need look at the facts of global warming and you can quickly see that we must reduce gases and pollution in our atmosphere.

Taking a Stand

People need to TAKE A STAND against adding more nuclear and coal-powered plants. One group, Billionaires For Coal, recently took a stand against TXU, a company planning 11 new coal-powered plants in Texas. In an article by Tara Lohan of Alternet.org, the Billionaires For Coal activists sent suitcases filled with coal to Merrill Lynch, Citigroup, and Morgan Stanley, the three firms bankrolling the multi-billion dollar project. The statement to the bankers is simple: stop being stupid over corporate greed!

Legislating Future Plants

The banks need to become more responsible in projects they will finance. If they simply took coal and nuclear off the map (most likely through government regulation), this would force the banks and energy companies to redirect their efforts to Energize the Earth with more natural, sustainable energy production methods.

More Advanced Solar Plants In Deserts

If we know we can create an energy plant that will make our air more healthy, then that is the plant we ought to build. If we know we can build shipping vessels that put less waste into the ocean, then those are the vessels we ought to build. PERIOD. The most logical source of power in the form of renewable energy (at least, in all practical meaning of the word "renewable") is SOLAR. One suggestion is to create a massive solar grid in major desert locations, then redirect this power into the grid that fuels power-consumption across the planet. If we put as much money into the development of renewable solar cell energy and solar plants as we did into making war with other countries, it would seem this alternative would be far more possible far more quickly.

3. We need to rid our dependence upon oil as the fuel for automobiles and convert this to air. We need the oil companies to lead this charge.

Compressed Air?

I'm a believer that compressed air may be a solution. (See http://aspirenow.blogspot.com/2007/11/how-important-is-global-warming.html for more on the importance of this concern.)

Methane from Microbes: Killing Two Birds With One Stone

An article just published today at http://www.physorg.com/ indicates that methane from Microbes could provide a clean, renewable energy source and use up carbon dioxide in the process. More information about clean and renewable energy is coming out all the time. If we could produce clean and renewable energy AND use up carbon dioxide, this would kill two birds with one stone. So, some type of source of energy, either compressed air, or methane from Microbes, needs to be developed and utilized in ALL automobiles as soon as possible.

4. We need to look for natural energy sources within our solar system. Perhaps energy from Jupiter might be a solution? The red spot is supposed to have anti-cyclone energy of some type.

Harnessing Other Galactic Energy?

Perhaps there is a way to harness that energy? I'm not a scientist, just an observer who happens to think "what if" scenarios about the information I learn. I'm curious to learn more about this developing potential source of energy. If you have information regarding harnessing space energy, please comment/forward the URL.

Yes, Global warming matters.

I continue to find evidence of an increase in real, measurable impact that directly results from an increase in human-related activities influencing our planet. I discussed this more in my "How Important Is Global Warming" post in November, 2007.

What are your thoughts on environmental issues? Do these relate to life purpose and living with more love, to you?

1 Billion Points of Light

There is another way we can energize the Earth, that often is not talked about. This is not physical energy, but spiritual energy. The idea put forth by former President George H. W. Bush of "1,000 points of light" is ridiculous, when you consider there are now BILLIONS of people living on Earth! We need to think in terms of "1,000,000,000 points of light!"

As we focus more and more on the aspects of improving our Earth and the life around us what we need is a continual state of prayer, focused on more love, more benefit for the Earth. If 1,000,000,000 people were praying, focusing their thoughts and intentions upon better, natural, renewable energy for the Earth, my feeling is that our scientists would find their solutions quicker. Oil companies would release their death-grip on the planet and start to act responsibly towards the planet's future. Government agencies would take stronger stands. Corporations would be focused on the big picture, rather than short-term greed.

Entrepreneurs: You are called to develop advanced companies with new technology to create a healthier planet. We need you now more than ever. It is with this perspective that we can transform our planet and truly create a sustainable global footprint for the future.

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Resources related to this article:

An Inconvenient Truth
Amazon Price: $17.98 List Price: $29.99

Miracles for the Earth
Amazon Price: $11.49 List Price: $19.95

NOVA - Magnetic Storm
Amazon Price: $11.00 List Price: $19.95

Quatermass (1979)
Amazon Price: $8.40 List Price: $39.95

Saving Earth - Energy from the High Frontier
Amazon Price: $12.95 List Price: $12.95
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This article is written by Scott Andrews, Founder of AspireNow. Copyright 2007. All rights reserved. You may republish this article only AS A COMPLETE WHOLE with ENTIRE LINKS and copyright messages attached.

To read more articles like this, subscribe to the A-Blog.